Two RFI journalists abducted, killed in Mali

November 4, 2013 2:21 PM ET

New York, November 4, 2013--The
Committee to Protect Journalists today calls on Malian and French authorities
to conduct an efficient investigation into the killings of two French
journalists on Saturday and ensure the killers are brought to justice.

Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon,
both of the French government-funded Radio France Internationale, are the first
journalists to be killed in Mali in relation to their work since CPJ started compiling
detailed records on journalist deaths in 1992.

"CPJ is shocked and saddened
on hearing of the murders of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, who both
dedicated their lives to informing the world about volatile countries and
regions," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "It also pains us
to add Mali to our roster of countries where journalists have been killed for
doing their work. Malian and French authorities must do their utmost to bring
the murderers to justice."

Gunmen in the town of Kidal kidnapped
Dupont, a senior reporter, and Verlon, a sound engineer, as they finished an
interview at around 1 p.m. at the home of Ambery Ag Rissa, a leader of the
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a group of ethnic Tuareg
separatists, according to news reports.
The security situation in Kidal, a stronghold of the MNLA, has been precarious
since a French-led intervention in January 2013 drove out Al-Qaeda-linked
militants who had overtaken the Saharan northern half of the country, according
to news reports.

French troops are stationed in Mali
along with an international force of U.N. peacekeepers mandated to carry
out the "protection of civilians under imminent threat of
physical violence," among other things. In a statement issued on
November 3, the U.N. Security Council condemned the murders and called on Malian
authorities to ensure the killers are brought to justice.

"The United Nations should support the investigations in line with its
mandate to protect civilians and its new plan for the safety and protection of
journalists," CPJ's Keita said.

Dupont and Verlon were on their second assignment in Kidal
since reporting
on the first round of Mali's presidential election in July, according to news
reports.

Dupont, 57, covered African affairs for RFI for over 25 years, RFI reported. She covered the conflict between Ethiopia and
Eritrea, as well as civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, from where she was expelled n 2006 in retaliation for her reporting.
Dupont was affectionately called "Gigi" by her colleagues and had been promoted
to the station's editorial board in September, according to RFI.

A veteran technician, Verlon, 55,
joined RFI in 1982 and had traveled with news crews in Afghanistan, Lebanon,
Iraq, and around Africa, according to RFI. He was
known for his technical prowess.

In a press conference
on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the bodies of the
journalists were found next to their vehicle outside the town. Fabius blamed
the murder on Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists. "A crime against journalists is a
double crime--it's a crime against people who were coldly assassinated in odious
circumstances, but it's also a crime against the freedom to be informed and to
inform," Fabius said.

Official investigations were
under way in France and Mali and several suspects have been arrested, RFI reported.